Jonathan Feigen – Ultimate Texanshttp://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexans
The Houston TexansFri, 28 Oct 2016 19:35:53 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.151018176Mercilus continues to show he’s far from a first-round busthttp://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexans/2014/08/mercilus-continues-to-show-hes-far-from-a-first-round-bust/
http://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexans/2014/08/mercilus-continues-to-show-hes-far-from-a-first-round-bust/#respondFri, 29 Aug 2014 02:32:14 +0000http://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexans/?p=55927For all that had changed and could continue to evolve now that the preseason is over and more of Romeo Crennel’s defense can be unveiled, Whitney Mercilus’ challenge had not. He is still there to make plays, the kind of eye-opening, possession-changing plays expected of first-round picks.

Mercilus had been the Texans’ first-round pick in 2012, but he was not a first pick overall. When the Texans used that pick to grab Jadeveon Clowney, Mercilus’ time as a starting outside linebacker seemed over, a fate that seemed even more certain when Clowney had consecutive highlight-worthy tackles for loss against the Falcons while Mercilus struggled.

Mercilus had not done much in the first two preseason games, but exceled last week in Denver and by Thursday’s final preseason chance to show what he can still bring, he did just what Clowney had in that show-stopping series in the Atlanta backfield.

Whitney Mercilus had another strong showing in the Texans’ loss to the 49ers. (Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle)

If the first preseason impression was forgettable, the last impression left before the games count might have made a point he knew needed to be made.

Mercilus ended the first quarter on Thursday by breaking free to sack 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert for a three-yard loss. A play later, he nailed LaMichael James for a two-yard loss. Along with an earlier hit of Gabbert, Mercilus offered a statement that he could still have a place in the Texans’ outside linebacker rotation with Brooks Reed and Clowney.

“It feels good. It shows that I’m making progress,” Mercilus said. “I just showed them that definitely I can play. I’m somebody that works hard day in and day out. I’m trying to earn a shot.

“It shows … we have another player who definitely can play in this defense.”

Thursday’s performance was not a one-game fluke. Last week, he led the Texans with seven solo tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit. That was enough to grab first-year Texans coach Bill O’Brien’s attention last week and again on Thursday.

“I’m comfortable with Mercilus,” O’Brien said. “I think that he’s playing with better knowledge of the scheme and he’s able to go out there and play without thinking. There’s a lot of communication and technique and things that he’s done in the past that are different than what he has to do now. For some guys, that may take a little longer than others and I think in the last two weeks, you’ve seen a guy who has really learned it and got it down pretty well and made some good plays.

“He’s played well these last two weeks. I saw it out there tonight. I thought he made some good plays.”

Mercilus said he brought the same mindset to Thursday’s preseason finale, making sure he relied on his instincts to play aggressively.

“For me, it just clicked. I just said “forget it. I know this defense. I’ve been in it for some time now. Just go out there and play.’ That’s it.

“Definitely, just being comfortable with the defense and not thinking a lot, having my preparation during the week and not thinking a whole lot just paid off. You understand everything.”

Mercilus did not have the same sort of impact in spot duty after his consecutive tackles for losses, adding one tackle in the third quarter in pass coverage. But while the final preseason game is a final audition for others hoping to earn a roster spot, for Mercilus it brought another reminder that he can reliably do the “positive things” O’Brien cited during the week.

In 32 NFL games, 20 as a starter, he has 13 sacks, 25 quarterback hits and 12 tackles for losses. Still, he was facing a preseason being overshadowed by a rookie had not played the past two weeks, believing he needed to prove himself.

“I’m not a proven vet in this league, yet,” Mercilus said. “I have to keep working my butt off. I’m still young. This is only year three for me. I still have to show everybody I can play.”

He might have even showed enough in several first-half flashes to remind that he might be a first-rounder not to be forgotten in the shadow of the latest player selected with the Texans’ first pick.

]]>http://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexans/2014/08/mercilus-continues-to-show-hes-far-from-a-first-round-bust/feed/055927Pollard leads way for physical Titans defensehttp://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexans/2013/09/pollard-leads-way-for-physical-titans-defense/
http://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexans/2013/09/pollard-leads-way-for-physical-titans-defense/#respondSun, 15 Sep 2013 23:26:13 +0000http://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexans/?p=41978Long after Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson had made his way off the field for the day, Bernard Pollard, the Titans defensive hammer and former teammate who sent him there, stood alone.

He had lost the midair battle, lost the video review that followed and could lose the review now certain in the league office.

When the Titans lost a game that minutes earlier seemed to have been won, he could only watch, as powerless as he had been while the video rolled.

Benched for the duration of the overtime that his high hit on Johnson could not prevent, Pollard watched the Texans finally secure their 30-24 overtime win. He stood far off to the side and then rushed off the field, knowing that the discussions about his eventful return to Reliant Stadium were far from over.

Pollard had blasted Johnson late in regulation on a pass initially ruled incomplete. After a video review, the call was overturned, and two plays later, Arian Foster was in the end zone.

Fine a possibility

It will not be the last time the play is reviewed. Pollard seemed to have delivered a shot to Johnson’s head. Though there was no penalty called on the play, Pollard knew the NFL would decide whether to weigh in.

When asked if he struck Johnson in the head or shoulder pad, Pollard did not say, speaking instead of the difficulty of landing hits in the shrinking NFL strike zone.

“It’s hard for us as defensive players to pick our target,” Pollard said. “Going high or going low, we ain’t right. It’s tough, but it’s no call. They didn’t throw a flag. We’ll see what the (NFL) front office got to say.”

At the time, Pollard was not worried about his fallen former teammate with the game on the line. When Pollard watched the replays, his interest was on the catch, rather than the hit, but by the time the replay determined that Johnson had held on to the ball and stayed inbounds, Johnson’s day was over.

‘Got to play ball’

“We’re a defense, man,” Pollard said. “We love things like that. We hate to see guys go down, but at the same time, we’re kind of in the moment. We’re playing ball. I hope he’s OK. I really do. I hope he’s OK.

“You got to play ball. For us, you have a split second to make a tackle. Offensive players — I’m not talking about this play — but offensive players know they’re at the advantage. If they duck a little bit and graze a little bit of our helmet, they know the flag is coming out.

“As defensive players, it’s hard to play this game. It sucks, because they’re not asking the offensive players to tone down on the scores, they’re not asking to tone down the greatness of the Bradys or the Mannings. They’re not asking them to tone it down, but they’re asking us to tone it down. We play defense, man. We have to protect things. They want us to be pitty-patty out there, and it’s not going to happen.”

Pollard could not stop Johnson on the pass and did not come close to Foster in time to prevent the two-point conversion that tied the game. Soon after, he was through for the day, though he shared no complaints about sitting out the overtime.

“I was OK and ready,” Pollard said. “We have different packages. That’s what the coaches (chose). They went with a package where I was out.

“Our guys contested. They played their tails off. They were physical. You can’t question our effort. Our effort was outstanding today.”

The rookie was amazing down the stretch, dominating on the game-tying drive in regulation and grabbing a 3-yard touchdown in overtime as the Texans rallied to beat the visiting Titans 30-24 in the home opener at Reliant Stadium.

“It felt great to be able to pick up the slack once Andre left (with a concussion),” Hopkins said.

Johnson made an incredible 21-yard catch to take the ball down to the 2-yard line and set up Arian Foster’s late touchdown run in regulation.

It was the last play for Johnson, who was knocked out of the game with a hit by former Texans safety Bernard Pollard.

Foster’s 1-yard score, and the following two-point conversion run, sent the game into overtime.

On that tying drive, Hopkins had catches of 23, 13 and 28 yards.

Hopkins then won it in overtime with his great catch.

The Texans might have work to do, but they have mastered making things interesting.

The comeback was not as dramatic or complete as in San Diego, but this one brought more stunning turns, missed chances and narrow escapes before the rookie finally ended it in front of a record Reliant Stadium crowd of 71,718.

The Texans trailed by eight when they rallied in the final three minutes of regulation. Bullock, who won the season-opener with a 41-yard field goal, missed on a chance to win the game in regulation, hitting the left upright from 46 yards.

Once in overtime, the Texans marched 78 yards on 11 players with Hopkins eighth catch of the afternoon finishing off the Titans.

That got Bullock off the hook. Having missed from 50 yards twice, he set up for a 51-yarder to win it, beginning the final odd twists to the day.

He made that, but the Titans had called time out. His next try was blocked, but the Titans were off sides. His attempt from 46 yards missed, but the Titans had again called time out. With his final chance, the one that counted, Bullock clanged the left upright and the game headed to overtime.

The Texans finally took control from there.

For much of the game, the Texans defense had been dominating as it rarely has before, surpassing even the second-half shut down that opened the season in San Diego. The Texans had gone back in front with their first scoring drive since the opening possession. They added a safety to lead 16-10, with the Titans consistently moving backwards. They even pinned Tennessee back on its one-yard line to move into position to chase safeties on consecutive plays.

Instead, Titans quarterback Jake Locker took to the air and moved down the field as if the previous eight feeble possessions had never happened. He completed all six of his passes on the drive, aiding along the way by a Kareem Jackson penalty for a hit to the head. His 10-yard pass to tight end Delainie Walker put Tennessee back in front, 17-16.

Things would quickly get worse when Matt Schaub looked for Hopkins on the right sideline. He was nowhere near where Schaub expected him.

Hopkins went up the field. Schaub passed as if Hopkins would cut out. The pass went directly to Titans’ cornerback Alterraun Verner who could have walked the 23 yards to the end zone. When he got there, the Titans led 24-16 with five minutes remaining for a Texans that had done little to do something about it.

After a pair of incomplete passes, Schaub was sacked and the Texans were quickly running out of time and soon, down to their final possessions to tie and go for the win.

They began at their own 13-yard line with 3:07 left. This time, Schaub and Hopkins were in sync on three-consecutive completions taking the ball to the Titans’ 23-yard line. Schaub connected with Andre Johnson at the two, but Bernard Pollard delivered a hard and high hit to Johnson, driving him out of bounds and out of the game.

Texans coach Gary Kubiak challenged the ruling that Johnson was out of bounds, and won the challenge, giving the Texans first down at the two with 2:18 left. After five-consecutive completions, Foster moved the ball a yard on first down and went in for the score on a one-yard run on third down.

His effort for the conversion that tied the game was even greater. Stopped well short of the end zone by Mike Martin, Foster fought forward just enough to reach the ball over the goal line for the two-point conversion that tied the game with 1:53 remaining – just enough time for the Texans to get a stop and a final possession for the win. That was delayed, but not for long.

Until then, the Texans had attempted to win almost entirely on the strength of their defense.

Early in the half, that seemed to be working. Punter Shane Lechler had pinned the Titans back on their seven-yard line with a 61-yard punt. The Texans defense kept them there, their fourth possession in six in which they did not allow a yard. When the Texans offense returned, they began at their own 45-yard line and began to open things up.

Schaub completed four of five passes on the drive, including a perfect fade to Owen Daniels who beat former Texans safety Bernard Pollard for the touchdown, giving the Texans a 14-10 lead.

The Texans’ defense continued to dominate. The Titans managed all of 10 yards on their 12 plays of third quarter. The Texans just did not do much with that crushing defense and the consistently outstanding field position that came with it.

It did not seem to matter. By the end of the third quarter, the Titans’ offense was moving backwards even more rapidly. After starting on their own 12, the Titans were penalized for a peel-back block and a pair of holding calls. When linebacker Joe Mays stuffed Chris Johnson at the goal-line, Gary Kubiak challenged the spot of the ball and won the challenge and the Texans’ defense had a safety suitable for their way they had taken command of the game.

That was not much scoring, but the one second-half scoring drive and the possession to begin the game had seemed to have been enough.

The Texans could not have made their first possession look easier. The rest of the half – and nearly the rest of the game – made it memorable, if only as an aberration for everything that followed.

The Texans needed just five plays to roll for 80 yards, 60 on a Ben Tate dash down the left sideline, before Schaub’s play action led to an easy touchdown toss to Garrett Graham. The Texans offense did little else the rest of the half.

The Texans collected just two first downs on the five remaining possessions of the half. After rushing for 79 yards on the first possessions, they ran for 28 the rest of the way. Randy Bullock twice missed 50-yard field goal attempts to add to the offensive frustration.

Things got worse, however, when their final possession of the half began at midfield with 105 seconds to work with. It ended after one play, with Akeem Ayers tipping Schaub’s pass for Johnson, misdirecting it directly to Pollard, whose 32-yard return set up the Titans at the Texans’ 23-yard-line.

Brian Cushing, who had a monster half with nine tackles, made sure the Titans went no further. But after a half in which they similarly marched easily on their first possession and then never again, the Titans took a 10-7 lead when Rob Birones ended the half with a 47-yard field goal.

When the Texans went back in front, it did not seem to matter if the offense contributed again. The offense waited for the final minutes, but when it got in gear, it rolled through the final minutes and overtime to the win.

What happened: The Texans’ defense had little trouble controlling the game while the offense played it safe. By midway through the third quarter, the Jaguars’ offensive plan – when not relying on Maurice Jones-Drew – was to have Blaine Gabbert get sacked in the hope of a roughing the passer penalty. The Jacksonville offense did not get in the end zone as the Texans grinded out a mundane and unsatisfying 20-13 win, their fifth-consecutive win.

What it means: The Texans moved to 8-3 for the first time in franchise history, but with Matt Schaub watching the game with his left foot in a walking boot and Matt Leinart watching the second half with his left arm in a sling, it would be difficult to celebrate even as the Texans maintained their two-game lead in the AFC South.

Who were the stars: Connor Barwin had four of the Texans’ seven sacks to key an outstanding defensive performance. He had 10 tackles overall. Brian Cushing had seven tackles. Ashton Youboty scored the Jaguars’ only touchdown on a fumble recovery and return. Arian Foster averaged just three yards per carry, but still collected 89 yards rushing and receiving with a touchdown. Matt Leinart completed 10 of 13 passes for 57 yards and a touchdown.

What was the turning point: Trailing 10-7, Jacoby Jones had a 42-yard punt return to the Jaguars’ 21. Moments later, Matt Leinart found Joel Dreessen on a 17-yard touchdown pass, Leinart’s first touchdown pass since 2008, and the Texans’ went in front to stay.

What will they be talking about: Who cursed the Texans? The best team in franchise history has overcome injuries all season, with the misfortune running through a who’s who collection of stars, Arian Foster, Mario Williams, Andre Johnson, Danieal Manning and Matt Schaub. The latest injury, however, will be the center of discussion perhaps more than any of the others because of the potential that the left shoulder injury suffered by Matt Leinart to be the one injury too many. More than a few questions will be asked about whether the Jeremy Mincy hit that put Leinart out was dirty, especially considering the Jaguars’ complaints about the Texans.

What’s next: The Texans return home for a much tougher test against the 7-4 Falcons. With the Texans likely to lean more than ever on their running game, they will face a strong Falcons run defense, second in the league heading into Sunday’s game. Matt Ryan, 10th in the NFL in passing yards per game, had an easy time with the Vikings’ pass defense in the first half on Sunday, though the Falcons stalled in the second half. Michael Turner has had a solid season rushing the ball, heading into Sunday’s games ninth in yards per game.

]]>http://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexans/2011/11/texans-defense-leads-the-way-in-ugly-win-over-jaguars/feed/010928Texans ride explosive plays to a 37-9 blowout of Buccaneershttp://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexans/2011/11/texans-ride-big-plays-to-rout-of-bucs/
http://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexans/2011/11/texans-ride-big-plays-to-rout-of-bucs/#respondSun, 13 Nov 2011 22:43:40 +0000http://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexans/?p=9945What happened: The Texans were in command from the game’s opening play from scrimmage and rolled from start to finish to a 37-9 blowout of the Buccaneers. They began the game throwing the ball well and then dominated with the running game, flying through the air on their first possession and rolling on the ground on their first possession of the second half. They pounded Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman, with the Buccaneers not getting in the end zone until the Texans led, 30-3. With Sunday’s rout, the Texans have outscored opponents, 132-42, in the past four weeks.

What it means: The Texans moved to 7-3 for the first time in franchise history with a second-consecutive blowout win on the road. Already in command of the AFC South, the Texans remained in the thick of the hunt for a playoff bye and homefield advantage.

Who were the stars: Arian Foster needed to touch the ball just 21 times to roll up 186 yards of offense, highlighted by his sensational 78-yard dash with a Matt Schaub pass for a touchdown. Schaub completed 11 of 15 passes for 242 yards and touchdowns. His 154.9 quarterback rating was close to perfect (158.3). He became the first quarterback with a pair of touchdown passes of at least 78 yards since Brett Favre in 2007. Brian Cushing had eight tackles, a sack and an interception. Brooks Reed had a sack for a fourth-consecutive week. Brett Hartmann, handling kickoff duties, delivered one of the top hits of the day, matching the Neil Rackers tackle earlier this season.

What was the turning point: Once the teams got the opening kickoff out of the way, the Texans were in control. On the game’s first play from scrimmage, the Texans ran play-action with Matt Schaub rolling to his right as he had so effectively early in the season. He found Jacoby Jones wide open, with Jones cutting back on an 80-yard touchdown reception. As often as the Texans seek to set up that sort of pass play with the run, they set up the opening touchdown with the running success of a week earlier, going from the dominance on the ground against the Browns to a rapid lead Sunday against the Buccaneers. The Texans have scored 44 points on opening possessions this season to lead the NFL, scoring seven times on their first possession, six times with touchdowns.

What will they be talking about: Just how great should the expectations can be? The Texans have a better record after 10 games than at any point in franchise history, making the pursuit of their first playoff berth seem an insufficient goal. Instead, with the rout of the Buccaneers heading into the off weeks and the presumed return of Andre Johnson, the question will be whether they can earn home field advantage through the playoffs and whether they should be considered a viable Super Bowl contender.

What’s next: The Texans will get their off week next week then return to Florida and the AFC South to face the Jacksonville Jaguars, who went into Sunday’s game last in the NFL in scoring, total yards and passing yards. Jacksonville moved to 3-6 with a win against the Colts on Sunday and will be in Cleveland next week. The Texans knocked off Jacksonville, 24-14, in their previous meeting.